Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 17

It was sunset when they left the wine shop. The afterglow scattered widely, dyeing the clouds on the horizon crimson, and laying a warm layer of gold over the land.

Lu Sheng and Qi Zhenshu walked side-by-side, the setting sun casting long shadows behind them.

Qi Zhenshu pondered for a moment, then asked Lu Sheng, “You suspect that Boss Liao has a problem? And that the spoiled wine incident is also related to him?”

Just now at the wine shop, Qi Zhenshu learned that the spoiled wine the previous time was done by Ding Laizi (Leper Ding) who secretly sneaked into the shop. Furthermore, before Lu Sheng left, she asked Lu Hualin if Ding Laizi knew Boss Liao.

Although Lu Sheng hadn’t said it outright, Qi Zhenshu immediately guessed that Lu Sheng believed Boss Liao and Ding Laizi were colluding. Neither the spoiled wine incident nor Boss Liao’s current demand for compensation were isolated events; perhaps it had been a conspiracy since Boss Liao first placed the order for the wine.

These were all her deductions based on Lu Sheng’s words, but Qi Zhenshu didn’t know how Lu Sheng determined that Boss Liao and Ding Laizi were colluding.

Lu Sheng slightly tilted her head, looked at Qi Zhenshu in surprise, and once again marveled at how truly intelligent this person was.

Just based on her conversation with Lu Hualin, she could immediately deduce the cause and effect and the connections between the incidents.

“You are so smart,” Lu Sheng praised her without reservation.

“You…”

The sudden praise caught Qi Zhenshu off guard. Her expression froze, and a hint of shyness suddenly arose in her heart. She wanted to open her mouth to refute Lu Sheng but didn’t know what to say, so she just pursed her lips and remained silent.

Seeing her reaction, Lu Sheng’s eyebrows lifted slightly, and she was in a great mood.

Qi Zhenshu’s stunned and shy appearance was truly interesting.

Seeing a certain person’s lips pursed tighter and tighter, Lu Sheng knew when to stop and said seriously, “Just now, Qi Nan told me that this Boss Liao has never bought more than a thousand catties of wine in the past, but this time he ordered as much as four thousand catties.”

Lu Sheng didn’t need to say the rest of the words; she believed Qi Zhenshu could guess.

Boss Liao acted out of character, first ordering a large quantity of wine, and then someone damaged the wine shop so they couldn’t deliver on time. This seemed a little too coincidental, no matter how you looked at it.

It made one have to be suspicious.

Qi Zhenshu thought for a moment and then understood, “Something unusual must mean something wicked is going on.” (Lit: When things are out of the ordinary, there must be a demon.)

As the words left her mouth, she suddenly remembered her own guesses about Lu Sheng over the past few days, and the blush in her heart deepened.

How could she have been so mentally confused as to think that Lu Sheng was possessed by a fox spirit?!

Qi Zhenshu quickened her pace, walking ahead of Lu Sheng.

The person in front of her had a straight back, seemingly normal, but the slight redness of her ear tips and the hasty steps revealed the owner’s embarrassed emotions.

Lu Sheng’s eyes were full of smiles, and her heart was full of amusement. She sighed inwardly: This wife of hers really couldn’t handle being teased.

“Little Sister.”

The two arrived at the Niu family’s doorstep, just in time to run into Lu Zheng, who had come to look for them.

Lu Zheng is Lu Hualin’s daughter, five years older than Lu Sheng. She works as a teacher at the county’s academy and usually lives in Binhe County with her wife and daughter, only returning to Deer Village during her ten-day break.

She is of the same lineage as Village Elder Lu (Lu Lizheng) and dotes on her younger sister, Lu Sheng, immensely.

“Big Sister,” Lu Sheng followed the original owner’s manner, affectionately hooking her arm around hers. “When did Big Sister come back?”

Lu Zheng tidied the stray hairs on Lu Sheng’s forehead and smiled gently, “I just arrived a little while ago. Grandma asked me to come find you two to come home for dinner.”

Earlier, when Lu Zheng returned home and saw her grandmother, the grandmother was full of relief and told her that Lu Sheng had grown up, was no longer as pampered and willful as before, and was getting along harmoniously with Qi Zhenshu. She originally didn’t believe it.

At the crossroads just now, Lu Zheng had already seen Lu Sheng, noticed that she had changed her usual flamboyant attire for a plain dress and long skirt, and that her makeup and hair were simple and elegant. The perpetual gloom on her face had also disappeared, and she and Qi Zhenshu were talking and laughing lightly all the way.

Lu Zheng was very relieved. Her pampered little sister had truly grown up and become sensible.

“Big Sister,” Qi Zhenshu also greeted Lu Zheng.

“Let’s go. Dinner is already prepared at home,” Lu Zheng smiled and nodded at her, then asked, “Where is Tangtang?”

“She’s sleeping at Aunt Niu’s house. I’ll go get her,” Qi Zhenshu replied, turning to knock on the Niu family’s courtyard gate.

Lu Zheng lowered her voice and asked Lu Sheng, “I heard Grandma say that you’ve come to your senses and want to live a good life with A-Shu? Is that true?”

“Mhm,” Lu Sheng replied with a smile.

“You must completely break things off with Young Master Huang. You absolutely cannot associate with him anymore,” Lu Zheng’s gentle expression slightly faded, and she spoke with a grave expression.

The last time the original owner met Huang Yaozu, Lu Zheng bumped into them, and Lu Zheng severely lectured the original owner at the time.

The original owner, afraid that she would inform Village Elder Lu about her ‘affair,’ outwardly played along, saying she would break up with Huang Yaozu, but then immediately started planning the scheme to sell the house and the daughter.

“Big Sister, after you lectured me that day, I seriously thought about my acquaintance with Huang Yaozu. After careful consideration, I feel that Huang Yaozu is very likely to have deliberately approached me. As for the reason behind it, I still can’t guess.”

Lu Sheng had thought about the original owner’s affair with Huang Yaozu herself but hadn’t quite figured it out. She didn’t dare mention this to Village Elder Lu, and even less to Qi Zhenshu, so she had just left it alone.

Now was a good time to talk to Lu Zheng, the person in the know, so someone could help her analyze and come up with ideas on how to deal with him.

Lu Zheng’s heart sank, and she asked in a deep voice, “What makes you say that?”

Lu Sheng recounted everything about the original owner and Huang Yaozu from their meeting to the present. The more Lu Zheng listened, the deeper her frown became.

“This matter is indeed not simple. I’ll have Xiao Yu look into him thoroughly for you,” Lu Zheng watched Qi Zhenshu walk out carrying the child, and lowered her voice to instruct, “Before that, you must not meet Huang Yaozu again, do you understand?”

Lu Zheng’s wife, Zhuo Yu, is a constable at the patrol office in Binhe County, specifically responsible for apprehending thieves. Asking her to investigate Huang Yaozu would indeed be much more convenient than Lu Sheng trying to figure it out herself.

“Mhm, I understand, Big Sister,” Lu Sheng nodded seriously.

Lu Zheng patted her on the shoulder, a smile reappeared on her face, and she walked toward Qi Zhenshu and Tangtang.

“Auntie,” Tangtang saw Lu Zheng and joyfully called out, running toward her.

Lu Zheng has a gentle nature and mostly speaks softly and gently, so Tangtang is particularly fond of her.

“Such a good girl,” Lu Zheng smiled as she picked her up and kissed her little face. “I haven’t seen you for days. Did Tangtang miss Auntie?”

“Missed you!” The little person nodded hard, her eyes bright and sparkling.

“Auntie missed you too. And Cousin Youyou missed Tangtang too, and she brought Tangtang her favorite tang gua (sugar melon/candy),” she said.

“Tangtang misses Sister too,” she replied.

Lu Zheng walked in front holding the child, with Lu Sheng and Qi Zhenshu walking behind.

The sky was filled with rosy clouds, and the floating clouds drifted lazily. The distant mountains were a picture-like shade of deep blue, and the cooking smoke curled up, steaming with heat.

Lu Sheng’s heart felt as if a fresh breeze had swept over it, every inch rippling with contentment.

She subtly turned her head to glance at Qi Zhenshu, just happening to meet those deep brown eyes. The golden afterglow fell upon this person’s clear and graceful profile, creating a faint halo of light.

With a soft thump, like a pebble dropped into the water, Lu Sheng’s already unsettled heart started to ripple with turquoise waves that refused to calm down.

Seeing her looking at her but remaining silent, Qi Zhenshu was about to ask what was wrong, but Lu Sheng unexpectedly turned her head in a hurry, quickened her steps, and walked to the front to speak with Lu Zheng.

Qi Zhenshu’s delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed. She looked at the charming back figure in confusion, unable to figure out the reason for a long time.

At Village Elder Lu’s house.

When Lu Sheng and the others arrived, the dishes were already on the table, and Lu Hualin had returned earlier than them.

“A-Sheng, A-Shu, you’re here. Quickly, come and sit. The food is all ready,” Lu Hualin’s wife, Yang Yulan, arranged the bowls and chopsticks, inviting them to sit next to Village Elder Lu.

Lu Zheng sat with Tangtang and her daughter, Zhuo You, with her wife, Zhuo Yu, sitting next to them.

Zhuo You was only half a year older than Tangtang. When the two little ones sat together, they happily hugged and played.

As soon as Lu Sheng sat down, Village Elder Lu, beaming with joy, took her hand. “A-Sheng, I just heard from Linzi that you helped the wine shop solve another tricky problem.”

“It just so happened that I thought of something, so I mentioned it to Uncle. It’s not really helping,” Lu Sheng said.

Lu Sheng had only provided an idea; the effort that followed was all done by Lu Hualin and the others, so she didn’t intend to take credit.

Village Elder Lu’s eyes were slightly red, his face full of relief, and he sighed deeply, “You’ve truly grown up, my good child!”

With Lu Sheng being so sensible now, he would have no regrets when he went down to see Lu Guangming and Lu Huacheng in the future!

The meal was filled with family warmth, harmony, and comfort.

Unlike the Lu family’s naturally thick filter of affection for Lu Sheng, after dinner, Zhuo Yu secretly pulled Lu Zheng aside and said, “Your sister has really changed a lot, it’s like she’s become a different person.”

Having worked as a constable for many years, Zhuo Yu’s observation skills were exceptionally sharp. However, she didn’t believe in ghosts or spirits, and never thought along strange lines. She only assumed that Lu Sheng’s temperament changed drastically due to the influence of Lu Huacheng’s death.

In the past, Lu Sheng was arrogant and caused Lu Zheng a lot of worry. Now that Lu Sheng had become better, her wife no longer had to worry daily about her little sister being an unaccomplished failure.

Zhuo Yu was happy from the bottom of her heart, for Lu Sheng, and also for herself.

If Lu Zheng had fewer things to worry about regarding Lu Sheng in the future, she would naturally think about her more often.

“You’re quite happy, aren’t you?” Lu Zheng pinched her waist and teased, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed your little scheming thoughts.”

“My wife~” Zhuo Yu deliberately leaned close to her ear and exhaled softly, “It hurts~”

Lu Zheng’s face flushed instantly. She stomped her foot on a certain person’s foot in embarrassment and annoyance, then turned her head to focus on washing the dishes, ignoring her.

“The affection between A-Zheng and A-Yu, these two children, is truly good!”

Village Elder Lu sighed meaningfully, then turned with a beaming smile to look at the other young couple beside him.

“A-Shu and I have a great relationship too,” Lu Sheng peeled an orange and handed it to Village Elder Lu. “You don’t have to worry.”

After all, Qi Zhenshu was sitting right there. Lu Sheng didn’t want to listen to Village Elder Lu rambling about their relationship right now, so she quickly used the orange to stop the old lady from talking.

Village Elder Lu took the orange from her hand, then raised her eyebrows and looked at the orange, then looked at Qi Zhenshu.

The meaning was clearly to have Lu Sheng demonstrate on the spot how good their relationship was.

Cough, now it was Lu Sheng’s turn to be embarrassed, so embarrassed she immediately wanted to swallow back the words she’d just said about their good relationship.

But words spoken couldn’t be taken back. She could only steel herself and reach for another orange.

The moment she raised her hand, a sparkling, translucent orange segment was placed into her palm. The surface of the segment was perfectly clean, with all the white pith removed.

Lu Sheng looked up at Qi Zhenshu, who was smiling lightly at her.

A boom echoed in her head, like fireworks exploding, the vibrant colors causing Lu Sheng to momentarily lose herself.

Just then, a displeasing voice sounded from outside the house.

“Oh, you’re all here. Then I’ve truly come at a good time.”

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